Ranker’s Palace. The place in Korea boasting the highest property prices lived up to its reputation.
“Come on! Step back!”
“If you take one more step in, I’ll sue you for trespassing!”
They proudly boasted a perfect blockade against outsiders. Eventually,
“Player Kim Shimun! Just one word……”
“Kim Shi……!”
As the entrance to Ranker’s Palace closed, the reporters and flashes that had been incessantly harassing Shimun disappeared.
*Sigh.*
Shimun exhaled deeply and casually pressed the elevator button. Then he slumped against the wall, exhausted.
“Is this more tiring than a game……”
It wasn’t an empty complaint. From the end of the match to getting on the car prepared by the association,
Shimun had to face an incredible number of reporters.
“If I hadn’t slipped away in the middle, I might have had to do the same interview dozens more times.”
He realized for the first time how many media outlets there were in this small country. It was fortunate that he greeted the coaching staff and players in advance.
Or else, he might not have even exchanged greetings properly. In a bid to console Shimun,
-My point is, with all the crowd and the heat, how many times do they keep asking the same questions!
A cheerful voice rang out right from the center of the chest. It was the Philosopher’s Stone.
-It’s all because you’re so nice, isn’t it?
“What do you mean?”
-The interviews. You respond to each question without showing any reluctance. If I hadn’t told you to break away in the middle, you would’ve done all the interviews with the media outlets, right?
Shimun scratched his cheek for a moment. Then, “Well…… I guess I can’t help it.”
-That’s what I mean! You’re lucky to have met someone as straightforward as me. Otherwise, you’d probably have been taken advantage of while being too nice all the time.
*Ding.*
“That’s right. I’m fortunate.”
Shimun got off the elevator and replied with a smile.
-It’s a somewhat soulless answer, isn’t it?
“It may seem soulless, but it’s sincere.”
And it was sincere. Without meeting the Philosopher’s Stone, he wouldn’t be where he is now.
-Hmph. No, that’s not it…… It somehow touches my refined senses……
Shimun continued to listen to the Philosopher’s Stone’s voice as background music. Passing through the long and elegant corridor, he arrived at the entrance to the penthouse.
Click.
As the door lock released and he turned the doorknob,
Thudududud!
He felt someone running from the other side of the door. Considering the weight and the short stride of the light footsteps, there was only one person who fit the criteria around him.
As he opened the door and stepped in, the corners of Shimun’s mouth involuntarily rose. That’s when, “Shiyeon, Appa’s……”
Before Shimun could finish his sentence after opening the door, “Appa!!”
A little child came running towards him.
*Pow.*
“Oof!”
The child’s knees hit Shimun’s back. No, they nestled into his arms. Despite the small stature, the acceleration seemed to have made it feel that way. The impact reached him right before it could be registered as pain.
“Appa! Appa!”
Seeing Shiyeon embracing him, burying her head and unable to contain her excitement, “Oh, Shiyeon! Did you wait for Appa?”
The shock quickly melted away.
“Yeah! Appa’s going thump thump thump! Klung klung! Doing that thing!”
Shiyeon looked up at Shimun with sparkling eyes and explained.
“Huh?”
What did she mean by that? Shimun wondered as he cocked his head in confusion.
“She’s talking about the match. The special match, we watched the German game together.”
The one who answered his question was Kim Shihyuk, his younger brother. Shimun looked at the approaching group led by his younger brother.
“Orabeoni, I saw the match. Finding a hidden piece on an abandoned railroad track… I was so surprised!”
“Hehe! I was more surprised when you managed to make Leoni Wolf fall asleep. What kind of medicine did you make?”
“… It was quite effective.”
It was Lee Yujeong, Park Jinwook, and Go Malsuk.
Shihyuk’s expression softened.
“Everyone was watching, huh?”
“Of course. We watched it together with Shiyeon. Right, Shiyeon?”
“Yeah! I watched with my big cousin!”
“Yeah yeah! I watched with my uncle!”
Was that really such a good thing?
Honey dripped from Kim Shihyuk’s eyes as he looked at Shiyeon.
Not just Shihyuk.
“When Shimun-nim transformed and activated the hidden piece, she was so excited.”
“That’s right. She was swinging her fists wildly and causing a scene.”
“Thanks to that, senior strained his jaw and had a hard time recovering.”
Even Lee Yujeong and Park Jinwook.
Although what they said didn’t sound like a particularly heartwarming story, the eyes of the two people looking at Shiyeon were very warm.
“I see. Thank you, everyone, for taking care of Shiyeon.”
“It’s nothing. She’s my niece, so I should take care of her.”
“Same here. Orabeoni.”
With the words of his two younger siblings, Shimun’s eyes also softened. Park Jinwook knelt down and teased Shiyeon with sparkling eyes. Perhaps they had become somewhat close during the special match.
“Come on, Shiyeon. Should I give you a piggyback ride again?”
“Piggyback ride?! Yeah! Piggyback!”
Shiyeon jumped out of Shihyuk’s arms and ran to Jinwook.
“Hey! Make way! Princess Shiyeon is coming out!”
“No no. She’s not a princess, she’s a queen!”
“Oh? Haha!! Right. The uncle got it wrong. Now, our queen is coming out!”
Shiyeon stood tall like a commanding queen with her back straightened as she walked beside Park Jinwook. Then she raised her short arms on both sides.
“Ta-da! I’m going on a tour with uncle and auntie.”
“Haha! Is this an honor?”
“Phew. Please take care of me, Your Majesty.”
Kim Shihyuk and Lee Yujeong. Shiyeon escorted by the two top rankers of South Korea to the living room.
As they disappeared from view, Kim Shihyuk glanced back at Shihyuk with a smile.
“Come and rest after welcoming me, brother. Our queen has been waiting for you.”
“Got it. I’ll be there soon.”
With a smile, Shimun responded, and after the four people disappeared from view,
he looked at Go Malsuk, who was silently leaning against a wall, her head hung low.
“Malsuk, is something wrong?”
At Kim Shimun’s question, Go Malsuk lifted her head.
Her face, usually so confident, appeared quite gloomy.
“… No, nothing really.”
Her words and expression were contradictory.
True to her character, her true feelings were laid bare for Kim Shimun to see, and so he waited silently.
About a minute passed like that.
“Hey.”
Go Malsuk, who had been staring at the floor for a while, finally spoke.
“If I manage to reach Platinum, do you think I could join you in the Arena?”
“Huh?”
Kim Shimun blinked for a moment.
Then,
“Of course. We’d be in the same rank.”
Kim Shimun nodded very naturally.
As long as it wasn’t a survival match where they had to kill each other, forming a party in Galaxy Arena wasn’t that difficult.
Of course, there could be some disadvantages due to MMR (Matchmaking Rating) differences, but as long as they were in the same rank, forming a party was possible.
But had he misunderstood her?
“No, that’s not what I mean…”
Go Malsuk shook her head slightly, trailing off.
Then, “No, never mind. Damn it, this isn’t like me. Getting scared without even trying.”
Muttering curses under her breath, she scratched her head vigorously and turned away. Kim Shimun tilted his head briefly, but then something seemed to click.
“Oh.”
He nodded slightly and spoke.
“Malsuk.”
“What?”
“You’re strong enough. So don’t worry about it.”
This time, it seemed he had the right answer as Go Malsuk’s face instantly stiffened.
“Trust me. You’re skilled enough to run the Arena with me without any issues at all.”
“Hey, you!”
She hesitated for a moment, her lips moving slightly.
“Sigh… Fine. Since we’re already talking about it, let me ask you.”
She let out a short sigh and continued.
“Why do you trust me so much?”
Having started speaking, she seemed unstoppable.
“I don’t even trust myself. What do you see in me that makes you believe in me so strongly?”
She poured out her thoughts without hesitation. Kim Shimun paused momentarily. However, he couldn’t speak about his regression, no matter how much he trusted her.
“Because you’re worthy of it.”
He had to put genuine sincerity into his words. Go Malsuk’s eyes widened slightly at Kim Shimun’s straightforward answer.
Then, “Fine. When it comes to raw strength, I’ll give you that. It might sound annoying, but I’m crazy strong, right? When I enter the Arena, I could probably beat everyone up on my own, party or not.”
She chuckled and roughly brushed her bangs back.
“But so what? Can you really say I’m stronger than you? No, can you even say we’re on the same level?”
“Well…”
Kim Shimun hesitated again. It was natural. It wasn’t that he underestimated her, but objectively, Go Malsuk wasn’t on the same level as him. And it wasn’t just her.
Even the Platinum gatekeepers and the top Platinum players aiming for Diamond weren’t on par with him. Even Leoni Wolf, who borrowed the power of a Constellation, wasn’t a match for him, was she?
Although he hadn’t had a real fight due to the issue between Odin and Brynhild, Kim Shimun was confident he could defeat Leoni Wolf even with his alchemy energy and demonic energy sealed.
His true strength, such as the mythic-grade equipment and other abilities, remained intact. Seeing Kim Shimun hesitate, Go Malsuk seemed to have already understood his answer.
“See, you can’t say it.”
She pouted.
“Malsuk, listen. It’s funny for me to say this, but I’m not a typical case…”
“I know.”
Interrupting Kim Shimun, Go Malsuk bit her lip.
“Everyone knows you’re exceptionally strong. They call you an irregular, and the whole world talks about it. But.”
Clenching her fists, she struggled to speak.
“In the end, the person I have to run the Arena with is someone like you, right?”
“…”
When Kim Shimun said nothing,
“Sigh… damn it! This isn’t why I started this conversation.”
She let out a deep sigh and ran her hand through her hair, ruffling it.
“Hey, you don’t need to be so down. If something happened because I’m weak, why should you be upset?”
“Malsuk…”
Kim Shimun looked at her with a gaze that had grown deeper.
Then, “Sorry, but I wasn’t down. I just had nothing to say because what you said was so true…”
“Ahhh! You bastard! Then shut it! Keep your mouth shut!!”
Like a boiling kettle, Go Malsuk suddenly erupted in anger. Seeing her return to her usual self, “Malsuk, if you keep throwing punches like that, you’re going to get countered.”
“Fine, you jerk! Try it! Just try landing one!”
Kim Shimun calmly accepted her rather coarse grumbling. To be precise, “Ahhh! You monster! How do you dodge every single one of my punches?”
It would be more accurate to say that Go Malsuk, grabbing onto Kim Shimun’s collar, ended up tiring herself out as he didn’t let a single punch land. After fuming and glaring at him with a look that screamed how annoying he was, Go Malsuk eventually said,
“Let’s go. Your daughter keeps asking for you. I thought my ears would fall off.”
She turned with a laugh, her strong voice returning to its usual tone. Kim Shimun responded with a smile.
***
“She’s still just a kid. It’s the age when they seek their parents the most.”
“… True, all kids go through that phase.”
Lost in thought again.
“Oh my! Our queen! Here is your juice, Your Majesty~!”
“Hehe! Such a loyal servant! I like you second best after Appa!”
“Shiyeon, what about your uncle? He’ll bring you two glasses of juice.”
“Hmm? Well… alright… Uncle is next after Appa!”
“Oh my! Shiyeon, then I’ll bring you three glasses of juice and some snacks.”
“You guys! What kind of sneaky business is this in front of a child?!”
Go Malsuk looked incredously at the bustling living room, lively thanks to Shiyeon.
Then, “Oh right, I saw your interview. You spoke really well.”
Returning to her usual self, she patted Kim Shimun’s shoulder.
“Of course. I’ve repeated the same thing countless times.”
“Heh! You’re not cut out for broadcasting either, huh?”
Go Malsuk chuckled, her eyes full of mischief as she looked at Kim Shimun.
“Get ready after the kid falls asleep. We’re going to drink and celebrate our victory till we drop.”
“I’m not really into alcohol.”
“You jerk! You have to drink on a day like this. No excuses, just be prepared.”
Barely swallowing the words, “It’s just that you want to drink”.
Kim Shimun nodded at her, who was sternly scolding him.
“Oh, and don’t even think about making some hangover cure with the excuse that mages have low stamina or whatever. I’ll blow up your lab.”
* * *
The next day.
“Ugh…”
“Snore…”
Two men and two women were sprawled across the living room floor and the couch. An Arena-brewed liquor bottle rolled across the floor and finally came to a stop after gently tapping a man’s foot.
“Wow… we really drank a lot.”
The owner of the foot, Shimun, shook his head in disbelief.
‘At least 200 bottles, give or take.’
Even though most of those who drank were top-ranked players, consuming over 200 bottles of Arena liquor in one night was absurd. Kim Shimun’s gaze fell upon a woman lying flat on the floor.
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Even in her sleep, she was softly groaning. Go Malsuk looked practically undead, eyes closed and motionless. Kim Shimun chuckled as he looked at her.
‘I told you to drink moderately.’
The night before, after putting Shiyeon to bed, Shimun had joined the drinking session, consuming almost half of those 200 bottles himself. There was a specific reason for it.
‘In her stubbornness, she insisted on a drinking competition.’
Was it a psychological need to win at something, even if it was just drinking?
Determined to win, Go Malsuk had challenged him to a drinking match, and he had foolishly accepted, leading to this debacle. It was a fight Go Malsuk could never have won.
-Heh heh. How is it, big brother? Now that you see her sprawled out like that, can you feel my greatness?
‘Yeah.’
The Philosopher’s Stone, located in the center of Shimun’s chest. One of its minor abilities was purifying impurities intruding the body. Therefore, even the Arena-brewed alcohol that would intoxicate players had no effect on Shimun.
Not knowing this fact, Go Malsuk suspected him of secretly doping and continued to challenge him until the end. Interfering when Shihyuk and Park Jinwook suggested they all compete together was a bonus. The result was the current scene.
“Ugh….”
Was she the one groaning the most among the five who drank? Go Malsuk, who was peculiarly moaning, even though she was supposed to be asleep.
“Tsk.”
Covering her with a small blanket, Shimun immediately turned and headed towards the laboratory.
“Philo. Was there no problem with the production of the cure while I was away?”
-Of course not. Since Shiyeon was there without rest, she made it diligently.
“Our Shiyeon worked hard. Is there anything I can help with now?”
-Yeah, there’s only the packing left, so I can handle it alone.
“Good.”
Shimun nodded happily and looked up at the empty space. The reason was simple.
“Shall we start checking the rewards now?”
They needed to check the rewards from the previous Arena, the national team special match.
“I wanted to check it earlier but I was too busy.”
Dealing with Coach Jang and Lee Sangmin, the coaching team, greeting the national team players, and soon facing numerous media outlets.
Didn’t they go straight to a celebration drinking session with the team upon their return?There was no urgent need for a reward, so it was a mission that had been postponed until this morning.
I opened the reward window.
『You have achieved a complete victory in the Special Match of the National PvP Tournament.』
『Despite the lack of personnel, you achieved a perfect victory and displayed overwhelming performance.』
『The reward increases according to your performance.』
『The attributed trait ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ receives a certain amount of experience points.』
『Your level has increased by 3.』
『The Philosopher’s Stone’s level has increased by 2.』
『You have obtained the ‘Ogre Power Gauntlet’ as a clear reward.』
The system window was brimming with information in front of me.
The wrinkles between my brows slightly deepened as I checked the rewards.
“Only leveled up by 3?”
Even if you separate the Philosopher’s Stone’s level, it’s only a total of 5 levels. For all the effort put in, the reward felt quite lackluster.
-It can’t be helped. You already knew that the PvP experience points were lacking, didn’t you?
“Well, that’s true… But it’s a bit disappointing now that I actually see it.”
I never expected the experience points to be lacking even compared to the promotion battles.
What’s even more regrettable is, “Tsk. Just one more level-up would’ve gotten me to level 100. I’m stuck at level 99.”
Kim Shimun’s original level was 96.
He needed four more levels to reach level 100, but he was just one short.
‘You need to hit level 100 for Paracelsus’s Cylinder to unlock its next options.’
But still, on a whim, he asked,
“Philosopher’s Stone, just checking… With my high alchemy energy, is there any way to make up for one level difference…?”
-Nope. No chance. Go back.
He asked, but it was a pointless question.
Kim Shimun clicked his tongue in disappointment and looked back at the rewards window.
“Ogre Power Gauntlet, huh… That’s not bad. Since it’s an SS-Rank reward for a special match, the options should be top-notch.”
The real treat of the national representative special match was the item rewards.
True to its name, the Ogre Power Gauntlet (OPG) was one of the most coveted pieces of equipment for any combat class.
For warriors, it provided even greater strength.
For assassins or archers, it compensated for their lack of power, and for tanks, it even added offensive capability—truly an all-rounder piece of equipment.
However…
“It’s useless to me.”
To Shimun, who possessed mythical level martial arts and human alchemy, the item held no significance.
-That’s true. You already have a natural Ogre’s Physique, so why bother with this?
“Well, that’s true… But it’s strangely frustrating.”
-Oh! It interferes with the human alchemy, or something like that. It’s even difficult to snap your fingers with the gauntlet.
Chuckled the mischievous Philosopher’s Stone.
Watching the creature with a smile, Shimun shook his head slightly and closed the reward window.
‘I should give the OPG to Malsuk later.’
Malsuk, who achieved first place in the Gold Debut Match, was worth congratulating, and seeing her like that yesterday bothered him as well. Simultaneously, a question arose.
“I mean, even though Malsuk seems to be training, how does she manage to fight in the Arena with bare hands?”
The current Malsuk was a promising rookie just like himself, with potential to become a high-ranker monster in the future. So, she must have found a way to earn money through various means.
Malsuk strangely lacked any items. Was she not part of the combat community?
If she was, she should have received a lot of equipment.
‘Is there a reason behind this? Well, even without equipment, she’s been performing well in the Arena.’
She even managed to grab first place in the Gold Debut Match solo with just her bare hands. She was a monster comparable to his two younger siblings. In fact, she had become a high-ranker who could match them in his past life.
‘Yet she still thinks of herself as weak… Malsuk, women’s hearts are truly unfathomable.’
Thinking back to the puzzled Malsuk from yesterday, Shimun smirked.
Before long, “Well then, Philo? I must have earned 5,000 points from the mission, so it’s time to prepare the main course.”
-Yes, I’ve already prepared it.
『Your Alchemy Energy is insufficient to proceed with the alchemization.』
『To establish the necessary equivalent exchange with the Philosopher’s Stone, 50,000 achievement points are required. Will you accept?.』
『Will you accept? (Yes / No)』
An astonishing requirement of 50,000 points.
However, thanks to earning 5,000 points from Baal’s mission in the previous Arena, as well as combining it with the existing achievement points, I currently had a total of 54,100 achievement points.
Without a moment of hesitation, Shimun pressed ‘Yes’.
In an instant, he snapped his fingers. And then,
『The Constellation Black Goat’s eyes are shining.』
Sssssss!!
A tremendous purplish-red energy surged to the point where the research lab was filled with hair standing on end.